HOW ARE THE MIGHTY FALLEN ! !

When I read the results for the SLPP national chairmanship during the convention held in Makeni on the Cocorioko web-site, I was flabbergasted! Alhaji U.N.S Jah 149 votes.Dr. Banya 144 votes.
A British dramaturge, William Shakespeare,wrote in TWELFTH NIGHT or WHAT YOU WILL that ” Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them”. When I reflect these provoking words, Dr. Sama Siama Banya becomes a fitting model. He was born great as one of the many grandsons of the Kissy warrior-chief Kailondo,and son of late Paramount chief Momoh Gbanya of Luawa chiefdom in the Kailahun district. He achieved greatness by successfully attaining his medical doctorate degree in England at the time when the Whiteman was held in awe in Africa.

Dr. Banya has been my icon. During my elementary school days in Kailahun,his arrival to the township from Kenema where he was resident as a medical practitioner,always sent us (children ) taking Olympic strides toward the Banya compound situated in the heart of the town,to have a glimpse of this noble man.His name was revered in all households in Kailahun.
He became active in politics in 1977 when the chiefdom ( Kailahun central one constituency ) was looking up to him for political redemption from the Hitlerite political ranting of the late Hon. Braima N. Combey.

A lot has been said about Pa Shaki,but there was one thing I liked in him; he was grateful to all those who supported him in his political career.Braima N.Combey was a staunch SLPP who represented Kailahun central in the 1967 general elections after the death of Hon. Taplima Ngobeh. Braima N.Combeh was baptised into the APC pedegree during the 1973 all out APC un-oppose general elections which found him as deputy Minister of Health.
When in 1977, a delegation from Kailahun was made to Pa Shaki to give the APC symbol to Dr. Banya, he refused. Braima N.Combey retained the APC symbol for Kailahun central. Dr. Banya was given the APC symbol for Kailahun south ( Upper Bambara chiefdom), his motherland.

Since then Dr. Banya has never won a free and fair general elections. When the election results were out, Dauda Sandy, the SLPP candidate, won against Dr. Banya’s APC. While the Pendembu constituents were jubilating, Dauda Sandy was a guest at the Pandemba Road prisons for allegedly shooting to death Dr. Banya’s two brothers during the eve of the elections.The Pendembu result was annuled and fresh nominations called. This saw the advent of Victor Bockarie Foh as District Officer in Kailahun. DO Late Alhaji Amara Jambai was transfered to Kono. V.B Foh was the ADO in Bonthe,another SLPP stronghold, but he manipulated the elections in favor of the APC.

Nominations were held in Pendembu and Dr. Banya as APC went un-opposed.This was the time Foday Sankoh as a free lance photographer from Segbwema took Dr. Banya’s photo.During the 1996 Abidjan Peace Talks between the NPRC and RUF-SL, Foday Sankoh accused Dr. Banya for failing to pay him for those photos.
Dr. Banya briefly became Resident Minister for the East.Since then,Pa Shaki Thrusted power on Dr. Banya as Minister of Internal Affairs, Minister of Economic and Country planning, Minister of Finance, acting second vice-president, the list went on and on.
Dr. Banya was one of the APC stalwarts in Parliament who combined with the political acumen of Pa Shaki, Sorie Ibrahim Koroma who got the sobriquet ‘ Agba Satani’, and C.A Kamara-Taylor to declare Sierra Leone as an APC one party state in 1978.

Elections were to be held in 1982, Upper Bambara chiefdom and Malema chiefdom-Jojoima were amalgamated into one constituency.Late Hon. Teacher Songa from Jojoima informed his chiefdom that he was going to contest against Dr. Banya. The entire chiefdom was running helter-skelter upon hearing the TROUBLE Teacher Songa was inviting into their chiefdom.Teacher Songa was strongly warned not to confront the un-touchable APC Dr. Banya.Dr. Banya went un-opposed.He was Pa Shaki’s blue-eye servant.
But when Pa Sahaki ( Bandeleh, Pass Ar-die ) was planning his retirement to hand over power to Brigadier J.S.Momoh, Dr. Banya was biting the finger that was feeding him.He strongly opposed Pa Shaki’s plan in Parliament trying to defend the constitution which states that a President upon retirement should handover power to the Vice President who in ninety days in power would call for elections.This was the period when the OBBA syndrome had clouded the nation.Dr. Banya wanted an OBBA member to become President.

Pa Shaki, a political pragmatist,applied his ” Sense make book” ideology and J.S.Momoh succeeded him in 1985.
In 1986,general elections were called.Jojoima was delinked from Pendembu and amalgamated with Daru ( Jawei chiefdom). Upper Bambara remained as a single constituency. Late Hon. Kakpindi Jamiru put up a strong fight and swinged Dr. Banya. Although all the election results in the district were cancelled for irregularities, the result for Upper Bambara was accepted by the Momoh government to pay back Dr. Banya for his political insubordination.For ten years Dr. Banya was in the political wilderness!
His quest for power earned him the presidency for the Old Bo Boys Association OBBA, kailahun District Descendants’ Association KDDA, Sierra Leone Conservation Society SLCS, Prnce of Wales PTA Chairman, etc.
His fallen apart with the Momoh APC government saw him reincarnating into the SLPP. During the 1996 SLPP convention held in FREETOWN, Dr. Banya contested against the likes of Pa Kabba and Charles Margai for the party leadership.Again he was beaten hands down!

After the chasing out of Johny Paul Koroma’s AFRC junta regime by ECOMOG,Dr. Banya was awarded the Foreign Ministerial port folio for weathering the bitter AFRC storm agaist him in Freetown.After the hue and cry of the Nation against Dr. Banya,Pa Kabba rellinquished him from the Foreign Ministery and made him chief Adviser to the President.
In the 2002 SLPP convention held in Bo,Dr. Banya like his APC hey days went un opposed for the party chairmanship.
His been Party Chairman, Adviser to the President,and all the Apc ninety-nine patterns,never occured to me that the grand septugerian would lose his chairmanshiop to Alhaji UNS Jah.I finally realised that Dr. Banya has reached his political waterloo.
He has done much for his brothers.In the 1980s late PC Sama Gbalahun Banya became Paramount chief of Luawa.Recently Paramount Chief Mohamed Kailondo Banya iv became Paramount Chief for Luawa.Martin Banya is the deputy Minister of Education,the list is long.

The Nation is waiting to hear and see what VP Berewa { Belewai- big trousers} will offer Dr. Sama Siama Banya.My Medica doctor cum political icon.

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